Waiting it out at Tangers Med Port

Just a short update, and as our Moroc Telecom card has run out and we are reliant on the Port's free Wi-Fi, it is not letting me upload any photos. So, unfortunately it is all in words!
We are currently parked up in the carpark at Port Tanger Med  – having been here 2 days and nights now, as no ferries are able to sail due to high winds!  The plan was to get the ferry back to Algeciras on Thursday.  We have an open ticket, so it’s just a case of turning up at the port and booking on to the next one that sails.

We left Chefchaouen on Thursday morning around 10.30, knowing it was a little over 2-hour drive to the port (120kms), so we hoped to get the 6pm Balearia Ferry. A really scenic route out of the town, and then through the Rif mountains again.

For the first time in days we put the radio on and was enjoying a 'sing-a-long' to the 80's music blasting out from 'Hits Radio' station.  We hadn’t bothered much with music around Morocco as we were just happy to look at the scenery, there was always something different to see and talk about no matter what road we were on.  Dropping down into Tanger on the motorway, the wind picked up and was in front of us.  It was so strong that it pushed the passenger side wing mirror in and was blowing the motorhome all over the place!  We looked at each other and said, pretty much simultaneously: “don’t think the ferries will be running today”.

Coming in to the port there were lots of motorhomes and cars parked up and very little information being give, other than there were no ferries running today!

Parked up alongside a few French motorhomes, we got speaking to a group of British bikers who had been at the port since 8am, it was now 3pm and they had just heard it was going to be a couple of days before any ferries would sail due to the weather so they were going to Tanger to get a hotel for a couple of nights.

There are mothorhomes, vans and cars parked everywhere.  The port police have been doing a good job at trying to coordinate the vehicles over the last couple of days and ensure they are parked in an actual parking spot; however, this morning the Civil Police have turned up and seem to be letting anyone park anywhere and it’s chaos!

People, mostly Moroccan’s have been sleeping in their parked cars for 2 days now.  A lot have small children with them and we are not sure how they are coping with sleeping and eating.  There is a small café here (fairly reasonably priced) selling baguettes, crisps, cakes, drinks and tagines but not many seem to be using them.  There's also a Prayer Room just behind where we are parked – one for men and one for women.  The Moroccans all seem to be piled in there regardless if they are praying, especially the women with the children, just to keep warm I should imagine.  Daily temperature has been about 18°C but with the winds it has felt more like 10°C.

We consider ourselves lucky having plenty of onboard water, bottled water, food, toilet and shower, heating, and even BBC World News on the TV!  So we are okay probably for another night if we can’t get a ferry until Sunday.

This morning a board has gone up to show that a couple of ferries are sailing but ours is still on hold.  So, we will keep watching and waiting!

Sally x